Wire-stretcher



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

0. E. BELL.

WIRE STRETGHER. No. 539,663. Patented May 21. 1895.

' WWW w/i/[WW gmvendoz /m, flaw. @ZMQ w (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. E. BELL.

WIRE STRETGHER. No. 539,663. Patented May 21, 1895.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

OLLIE E. BELL, OF DERBY, KANSAS.

WlRE-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 589,663, dated May 21, 1895.

Application filed May 22, 1894. Serial No. 512,058. (No model.)

To all whom it" may concern: I

Be it known that I, OLLIE E. BELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Derby, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Wire-Stretchers,of which the followingisaspecificatiomreference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of reference thereon, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the implement represented in service; Fig. 3, a top view of the same when not in service; Fig. 4, a detailed perspective view of a portion of the implement having a wire-holding claw attached thereto; Fig. 5, a side view of the implement represented in service, and Fig. 6 a detailed perspective of the wire-gripping yoke used in conjunction with the implement when performing certain service.

This invention relates to certain improvements in an implement for stretching wire, and is especially adapted as a fence wire stretcher, for rendering service stretching the wires of a fence to a post, for stretching wires for making splices, and for attaching pickets to the wires of a fence, or binding the wires of a fence to a post, and, consists in certain novel construction and arrangement of parts; which improvements are fully set forth and described in the following specification and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings D represents a lever, preferably of wood, made forked at one end, as shown at D, shaped as a handle at its opposite end portion, and provided along its upper central portion, with a series of cross ratchet teeth S. Placed in the fork D of said lever is a foot piece 0, preferably of wood, pivotally therein secured, by means of a crosspin D; said foot piece being made with one side thereof cut away, as represented at O.

P is a pawl, also preferably of wood, made forked at its upper end, as shown at P, and pivotally secured to the upper end of foot piece 0, with said foot piece within said fork, by means of a cross-pin P". The said pawl thus secured is adapted to engage at its free end with the teeth S along the upper side of lever D. Pivotally securedto the sides of said lever, by means of a cross-bolt B, are a pair of oppositely disposed arms R each terminating, at its extending end with a hook R; and passed through lever D, below arms R, is a cross-pin ,2, extending a like distance on either side out under said arms, to prevent said arms moving too far down, relative to said lever.

Pivotally secured to one side of lever D at its end portion adjacent to foot piece 0, by means of a cross-bolt B, is a claw plate G, which by reason of its frictional bearing against the lever, is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 4.

E represents'a yoke, preferably made of wrought iron bent to form the vertically extending loop E at the center of its bend, and terminating at each end in a hook E", as represented, which yoke is used in conjunction I with theimplement in stretching wire, as hereinafter described.

In securing pickets to the wires ofa fence, or binding the wires of a fence to a post or picket, the implement is placed with the foot piece 0 against the fence post or picket with the lever brought to a position of about fortyfive degrees, with the handle portion at the highest point. The arms R, R,are then hooked over the fence wire w, after which the handle portion of lever D is brought down, which causes the joint bolt B of arms R, R, to be carried farther from the fence post, thereby causing the said arms to draw the fence wire to partially about the post as shown in Fig.1, when such position of the lever, and hold on the fence wire, is maintained by the pawl P which engages against the proper ratchet tooth S for that purpose. When the implement is in such holding position, a binder wire w (see Fig. 1), maybe placed about the post through the opening formed by the cut away portion of foot 0, and bound to wire to to secure it in such taut position.

In stretching wire to a post the implement is placed in the same position against the post as shown in Fig. 1, but instead of hooking arms R, R, over a fence wire they are coupled with the yoke E, which yoke is placed astride the wire w, to be stretched, with said wire secured in the loop E of said yoke, which is done by pressing the wire into said loop; when by a like operation as above described the a? lam.

arms are operated to draw yoke E and thereby draw or stretch the wire to the post, or so that it may be properly secured to the post.

In stretching wires to make a splice the yoke 5 E is used in like manner, but instead of rest-- ing the foot-piece of the implement against a post, the opposite wire end 10 is gripped in the claw of plate G of lever D, as shown in Fig. 5, and by operating said lever to bring it from 1 o a lateral position relative to the length of said wires, to a position parallel, or nearly so, with the said wires, they will be stretched taut and their ends extended toward each other ready for making a splice, as shown.

1: Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The herein described wire stretching implement comprising the lever forked at one 20 end, shaped as a handle at its opposite end, and provided with the ratchet teeth along its central upper portion; the foot piece held in the fork of said lever by means of a cross-pin and cut away at its engaging side; the pawl 25 forked at one end and thereat pivoted to said foot piece by means of a cross-pin, and adapted to engage the ratchet teeth of the lever at its free end; the hooked draw arms pivotally secured to the lever sides by means of a cross- 0 bolt; the cross pin placed through the lever body and extending at each side thereof under said hooked arms; the claw plate attached to the side of the lever, and the draw yoke, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the lever D provided 5 with the teeth S, and pin Z; the foot piece 0 pivotally attached to said lever end; the pawl P pivotally attached to said foot piece; and the hooked arms R, R, pivotally secured to the sides of said lever, substantially as set forth. o

3. The combination of the lever D provided with the teeth S, and pin Z; the foot piece C pivotally attached to said lever end; the pawl P pivotally attached to said foot piece; the hooked arms R, R, pivotally secured to the 5 sides of said lever; and the yoke E provided with the end hooks and with the central loop, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination of the level-D; the claw plate G pivotally secured to the side of said 0 lever adjacent the end thereof; the hooked arms R, R, pivotally secured to the sides of said lever at the central portion thereof; and the yoke E provided with the end hooks, and with the central loop, substantially as and for 5 the purpose set forth.

OLLIE E. BELL.

\Vitnesses:

WM. J. II'UlCl-IINS, WILL C. HUTCHINS. 

